Rich Eats: Hardcore – Stripping Your Body

Before you read on, I acknowledge I am obsessed with and love experimenting with my exercise and eating.

This post might be best read and applied now to get you ready for Christmas (and the rest of your life!) Or, if you’re one of those New Year starters maybe begin on the 1st / 2nd Jan… it’s up to you!

I’ve read a lot, listened a lot, and experimented even more in a quest to balance my diet. The recommendations I make below were initially trialed over one week though may now play a regular part in my eating and exercise habits. This regime required a lot of determination, but even if you take away just a few of my suggestions, I am sure you will feel better, stronger and healthier both mentally and physically. The Goal of this was to get very lean very quickly and is not all recommended as a long term strategy.

Warnings:

Always listen to your body. If you’re feeling fait or dizzy while trying any of my suggestions in this post resume your normal eating and exercise habits immediately and consult a doctor.

Always consult a doctor/nutritionist before making any sever changes to your eating and exercise regime.

My One Week Trial

See how your body reacts to this, adjust it and adapt it to suit you – pick up the phone or email me if you need any personal advice.

1. Drink more water

Add one litre of water to your daily intake because this change in your eating and drinking will flush your body of stored (some toxic) fluids and you need to help flush them out.

2. Drink more tea

Drink two cups of dandelion tea per day – Why dandelion? It flushes out stored water held captive in our bodies by certain foods we eat like grains, pulses and foods containing starch.

Drink one cup of green tea per day – Why green? It is full of antioxidants which help ‘mop up’ free radicals, and it also flushes out stored water. To the surprise of many, green tea also contains caffeine which I personally use for a bit of a boost when working out.

££ What to buy – Tea Pigs do awesome green tea and they charge you for it too! It’s worth it for now. I avoid Twinings tea because it gives me a headache after a couple of mouthfuls, I need to find out what is in it that my body does not like

3. Cut out bread, wheat, starch, pasta, rice, grains & pulses

Because these foods are prime culprits for keeping water in the body. They do provide some goodness though if you’re looking to lean-up in a short period of time cutting these out will let your body release stored water. Understand me right here, I will eat brown rice, pulse and grains normally this is quite an extreme change to our eating habits here. I’m not recommending you cut all pulses, grains and rice for a long period of time (no more than 2 weeks).

Dark chocolate – Not much, only 200g every couple of weeks my personal favorite is Montezuma’s and go for at least 70% cocoa. Why chocolate? I admit it is one of my vices, but it does have benefits in terms of temporarily boosting your mood and the anti-oxidants which will mop up free-radicals in your system – watch out for the energy crash after if you have too much!

Following a number of conversations with herbalists and doctors I have found out that there are risks that accompany super-dosing in Vitamin C. Vitamin C is acidic (citric or ascorbic acid) so it can cause esophagus and stomach inflammation or even ulcers at very high doses. That said it is water soluble so any excess will just pass through your system rather than build up. (Those of you who know me will know I am very much into keeping an alkaline diet so lease do counter this additional acid in your system with more alkaline foods like almonds, cucumbers, peas and other green veg).

Over the last week I have been taking 3000mg of Vitamin C powder 3 times per day (I’m not recommending you do this). Yes I did take 3000mg 3 times per day. This is a lot, and I recommend you perhaps start with 500mg to 1000mg 2 or 3 times per day and find a level that you are comfortable with and you will feel healthier, have more energy and become leaner.

Two points I’d like to make here:

1) Yes, it’s WAY over the RDA (75 to 90mg per day) – I’d like to add to this; not all medical professionals believe the governments RDA’s are right. RDA’s are based on the ‘average’ person. If you’re exercising hard, smoking (I hope not!) or pushing your self in any way more than the average person then you can pretty much dismiss any RDA’s. What is an average person anyway!?

Super-dosing in Vitamin C has been recommended by some of the world’s top doctors as preventatives and remedies for illnesses like cancer. See what Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD has to say here. Please do some of your own research before super-dosing in Vitamin C.

2) It does not taste great at first, and it may upset your stomach/give you a little Diarrhea but it makes a huge positive difference when you find the right level for you to take.

6. Use the steam room/sauna more often

I go four or five times per week now – Time in the sauna/steam room helps you sweat out toxins & fat, it actually gives your cardiovascular system a work out, and revitalises your skin by sweating out pollution and dead skin, burning calories even when you leave. I prefer the sauna because it feels cleaner (in the steam room I feel like im breathing in everyone else’s sweat!)

Note – you will need to drink even more water if you are visiting the sauna/steam room this regularly

Because you will be flushing toxins out of your organs in this diet you will need to increase the amount of antioxidants in there to help clean them up. The above will pump you full of much needed vitamins and anti-oxidants. Great for your hair, skin and nails too!

In summary

Drink more water, and cut out foods that hold water (no Dairy, No Wheat, no Grains), add the teas recommended above.

What will this mean for your body?

Higher energy levels – My body feels so light (I dropped 1.5kg in a week) and I have so much more energy than before.

Toning – You should notice that your body has become more toned all over

Peeing and pooing – This diet flushes out your system, so prepare yourself for my time on the toilet

Exercise – Even if you’re don’t exercise regularly you will notice a difference in your energy levels and physique

Wise words

You should always consult a doctor before changing your eating and exercise habits. This diet is the balance that works for my physique and my training habits, if you need it to be tailored to your physique and training habits call or email me.

Endorsements

I am not being paid by any brands to endorse or damn products. Any products that are recommended on this site are simply a part of my diet because I love eatint/drinking them. If you represent any of the brand mentioned in this post/blog please do get in touch with me now.

Apologies

This diet may cause a few problems for vegetarians because there is a focus on fish and meat protein, take what you can from my suggestions and get in touch and we can find you another source of protein.

Lastly

If there is one take away from this blog – increase your daily water intake and drink dandelion tea, it will make a huge positive difference to your body.

A special thanks to Tom Baxter for advising me on much of the above – Cheers Baxter!